


late isn't all that bad

by kamyams (orphan_account)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, kiss, minor mentions of Kuroo and Akaashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 11:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5537459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/kamyams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kei is not one for the Christmas festivities...though Bokuto might just make it worth his while.<br/>A Christmas holiday fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	late isn't all that bad

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not late (unlike Bokuto)  
> I originally wasn't going to do a Christmas fic bc no motivation...but I've always liked the noisy neighbor thing so I decided it was worth a shot

It was the loud noise, the pounding music and garbled yells of excitement that drove Kei mad. He was used to having neighbors that seemed to party a lot and as long as it didn’t reach extreme levels, he was fine with letting them have their fun.

This was ridiculous though.

He’d moved in about two weeks ago and from the first night till now his neighbors have been loud, obnoxious, and there’s always a weird stench coming through the vent that connects their two little apartments.

Every time he’s out checking the mail and he hears their door open, he takes the long way back to his apartment just to avoid putting a face with the disruption.

Tonight is unacceptable though, he can’t take it.

He’d let the fact that it was Christmas day slip his mind and when he went out to go get some things for breakfast, he found everything to be closed. To make matters even worse, his brother called him, distraught, saying that he wouldn’t be able to make it this holiday. Which means he’d have to go and suffer the family gathering with no one by his side. There was no one to save him from the prying questions about his nonexistent love life or the pitying looks of others when the topic of his father was brought up.

All in all it was a time of hell for Kei.

So imagine his anger when he returns home to his comfortably tiny apartment, expecting to lie down and forget about his terrible holiday, and finds that his neighbors are blasting their loud music and laughing like there’s no tomorrow.

He grits his teeth and rips off his dumb sweater vest, knocking his glasses askew and ruffling his feathery hair. He pulls on a ragged tshirt that longs to be thrown away before stomping out of his front door and to the one directly next to his, knocking viciously on the peeling paint.

The music doesn’t get turned down so it’s a wonder how his knock was even heard, but someone opens the door.

Kei doesn’t even get a good look at them before his lip is twisting in an irritated snarl.

“Do you mind turning down your music? I’ve been dealing with it all year and I’d like one night of semi peace.”

Although there is no raise in his voice, the tone of annoyance and exhaustion creep into his voice like a thief and steal away his cool demeanor.

“Oh..shit sorry about that, yeah I’ll turn it down some.”

Kei sighs and looks at the other, no longer blinded by unwarranted fury.

‘This man looks absolutely ridiculous’

Wide, bright golden eyes and grey locks that stick up in the most infuriating way.

‘He looks like an owl, god’

He stares at Kei for a while longer, a sheepish grin still gracing his surprisingly clear face before it widens in glee.

“Merry Christmas neighbor! How is-“

“Bokuto~,” the drawled words make Kei peek past the shorter man to see a head of unruly black hair and narrowed amber eyes.

Eyes that trail up and down Kei sharply before snapping to his face without shame.

“We were wondering what was taking so long but I understand…don’t take too long.”

He moves away from the doorway and Kei can’t help the flush the graces his cheeks. To be stared at so unabashedly, god, he needed to go.

“I’ll leave, just make su-“

“Yeah Yeah! I’ll definitely turn the volume down a bit. Sorry, Christmas party underway so maybe I’ll see you around! Merry Christmas!”

Kei barely was able to blink before ‘Bokuto’ closed the door in his face, not rudely, but Kei couldn’t help but to feel a bit put off with being dismissed so easily by a stranger.

He frowned and walked the couple of steps to get back to his apartment.

Didn’t matter. As long as he turned the music down like he promised then Kei didn’t really care.

He planned to lie down and sleep till the afternoon because the idea of human interaction before then was already filling him with dread.

+++

Something wakes him up at 2am. He almost can’t believe it.

He looks at his charging phone and yep, it says 2:23 a.m. exactly.

He looks around his darkened room, searching diligently for his glasses. He’s just settled them on his face and blinked his sleepy eyes before a knock at his door makes him jump, a small noise of surprise climbing out of his throat.

He stumbles out of bed, his hair pressed higher up on one side because of how he was sleeping, and goes to look out of the peephole.

The grey haired man from earlier is standing at his door, holding something behind his back.

Kei resists the urge to grit his teeth, the thought of a migraine keeping the action at bay.

It doesn’t quite stop the forceful yank he has when he swings open his front door though.

“Yes? It’s two o’ clock in the morn-“

“Hey~ Sorry if you were sleeping!” This man, or well, Bokuto is standing in front of him dressed in a pair of comfortable looking pajama pants and a loose t shirt that has (surprise surprise) a creepy looking owl on the front. Kei absently thinks that it must be his favorite animal.

He doesn’t even look like he’s tired, his grin just as bright as earlier and his eyes even brighter.

“I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas!”

Kei rubs his eyes underneath his glasses and takes a deep breath.

“It is no longer Christmas, it’s the 26th of December.”

That piece of information does not sway the man at all and Bokuto is laughing, loud and proud the next second. The sound making Kei’s sensitive ears ring.

“How true! Haha. I’m Bokuto Koutarou and I live next door to you.”

“Yes, I’m aware-“

“You are?”

Kei bites his lip and stops the words, “-fucking exhausted” from escaping from his mouth.

“Kei Tsukishima.”

Bokuto’s eyes widen and he unconsciously leans in.

“Wow, what a pretty name, it fits you perfectly!”

Kei feels the rush of heat to his face in the next second. He doesn’t even know what to say, but Bokuto stops him from having to come up with something because he starts shoving something at Kei.

“What is-“

“My friend Akaashi bakes a lot. And I mean _a lot._ He’s also really good at it and I didn’t want any of it to go to waste and I thought, ‘My new friendly neighbor might want to try some stuff!’ which is what I’m doing. I’m giving you Christmas cookies. For Christmas.”

Kei immediately thinks, ‘He’s drunk’.

Kei looks at the plate that’s been pushed in his hands and stares.

The cookies look and smell wonderful. He wouldn’t mind having some honestly.

Bokuto looks at him, his smile genuine and so excited that Kei would definitely feel guilty if he were to refuse.

“I-um, thank you?”

Bokuto nods his head, his eyes looking from the cookies to Kei and back again.

‘Oh god, he wants me to taste one.’

Kei is standing out in the hallway of his apartment building, dressed in a thin t shirt and a pair of shorts that can’t be any longer than mid-thigh, eating Christmas cookies from the peculiar stranger who lives next door to him.

It’s almost laughable.

He picks one up, noticing the cute Christmas ornament design it has and takes a bite.

It’s _good._

He finishes the cookie before he has the chance to tell Bokuto that.

“Ahaa…I didn’t bake them remember! Akaashi did..uh..” He stares at Kei for a second, eyes flickering to Kei’s lips that have crumbs on them, “I kinda helped? Just with the designing! Akaashi doesn’t like for me to mess with the oven.”

Kei can’t help the tiny smile he makes when the image of Bokuto producing blackened cookies pops into his head.

“Well thank you…and Akaashi for the cookies.”

Bokuto smiles then, a loopy smile that makes him look sleepy yet happy.

It’s incredibly cute, which means Kei should go now.

As soon as his mouth opens to voice this fact, Bokuto leans forward, a yelp escaping Kei before arms are wrapped around his waist and he’s being pulled into what can only be described as a “bear hug”.

“Merry Christmas Tsukki!” is spoken into the material of his shirt and Kei startles at the nickname, he also knows his heart is beating so fast because even _he_ can hear it.

Bokuto is warm and smells like soft cotton and pine. A mix that puts nothing in Kei’s head but Christmas, a holiday he usually does not enjoy much at all.

Bokuto inhales deeply before exhaling, his breath warm against Kei’s skin through his shirt.

His hands squeeze Kei’s waist before he’s pulling back, eyes half lidded and that same lazy smile on his surprisingly plush looking lips.

That thought is enough to kill Kei’s whole train of thought.

That is, until Bokuto plants a kiss right on his the corner of his mouth, the action quick and definitely unexpected.

Kei jerks back, his breathing sounding loud and raspy in his own ears. Bokuto smiles and bumps his nose to Kei’s cheek before pulling all the way back, sighing and stretching as if nothing had just happened.

“Okay, well I’ll see you around Tsukki, please don’t be a stranger. I hope you enjoy the cookies! Maybe we’ll make some more…”

He walks off mumbling to himself, Kei stands and watches him all the way until his front door closes, then he rushes into his own apartment and slams the door close, a hand over his mouth and the other holding the plate of cookies.

The interaction has his stomach getting warm, the feeling spreading out to the rest of his limbs. He knows his face is as red as it can get.

He stumbles into the kitchen, sticking the plate of cookies into the fridge.

He’s on autopilot when he walks into his bedroom and slips under the blankets, removing his glasses with trembling fingers.

‘Oh god, I have to return the plate, he kissed me, a stranger, Bokuto…Koutarou…’

Kei breath rasps in his throat and he presses his hands underneath his pillow, only to hide the fact that they were trembling from his eyes.

After his thoughts finally stop racing, Kei surprises himself with his next thought.

‘Not an entirely horrible Christmas I guess…a late gift doesn’t necessarily mean a bad one…’

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any mistakes. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and for those who don't, I hope your day was enjoyable!!


End file.
